


Written in the Stars

by hazelNuts



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Human, Angst, Asexual Castiel (Supernatural), Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff, Minor Gabriel/Kali (Supernatural), Non-Binary Castiel, Other, POV Dean, Pining, Pining Dean
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-01
Updated: 2017-04-01
Packaged: 2018-10-13 18:29:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,477
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10519386
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hazelNuts/pseuds/hazelNuts
Summary: Dean agrees to help his best friend, to pretend to be their boyfriend for the weekend. It’s just so Cas’ brother will stop bothering them about their dating life. He can totally keep his feelings to himself. He’s been doing it for awhile, after all. What’s a couple more days?It's their usual Thursday night study session at the library. The tradition started when Dean stole Cas’ table at the beginning of the year. There’d been a pile of books when he sat down, but since the rest of the table was empty, no jacket or bag on the chair either, he’d assumed the books had simply been forgotten. By the time Cas came back with another pile of books and a cup of coffee, Dean was already up to his eyeballs in his assignment. Cas hadn’t demanded he move, just that he move his books so Cas had some space too. The next week, Dean stole Cas’ table on purpose.





	

**Author's Note:**

> If you think I forgot any tags, please let me know in the comments.
> 
> A big thank you to thereadingnome for being my beta!   
> And a gigantic thank you to the mods of the DeanCas Tropefest for organizing everything and the beautiful banner!

 

It's their usual Thursday night study session at the library. The tradition started when Dean stole Cas’ table at the beginning of the year. There’d been a pile of books when he sat down, but since the rest of the table was empty, no jacket or bag on the chair either, he’d assumed the books had simply been forgotten. By the time Cas came back with another pile of books and a cup of coffee, Dean was already up to his eyeballs in his assignment. Cas hadn’t demanded he move, just that he move his books so Cas had some space too. The next week, Dean stole Cas’ table on purpose.

Even though their fields of study are widely different—Dean majoring in Electrical Engineering and Cas in Social Work with a minor in Queer Studies—and the fact that they met at all was a small miracle, they soon became friends and started hanging out outside of the library.

Tonight, Dean isn't getting a lot of studying done, and it’s Cas’ fault. He gets distracted by Cas on an average day, and he’s learned to live with that, but this is something else. They’re restless, clicking their pen and tapping it against the table or their lips, jiggling their leg, and they’ve been staring at the same paragraph for the last ten minutes. None of that is as distracting as the little crease between Cas’ eyebrows that Dean wants to smooth out with his fingers.

Dean pulls the pen out of Cas’ hand. ‘What bee got in your bonnet?’

Cas glares at him and grabs for their pen, but Dean holds it out of their reach.

‘Everything okay?’ Dean asks, a little more serious this time.

‘I’m aces,’ Cas grumbles. They’ve used that pun since they told Dean they’re asexual, but today it isn’t accompanied by the usual smirk. Dean stares them down and Cas slumps in their chair. They run a hand through their hair, making it stick up even more than usual. ‘I’m going home this weekend,’ they say.

‘I know. Finally getting that laundry done,’ Dean smirks.

Cas hasn’t been able to use the washing machines in their dorm for three weeks. Every time someone tries, the place floods. The laundromats are always packed, so everyone with family living less than three hours away saves their laundry for the weekends.

‘Gabe will be there,’ Cas says, their expression souring even more.

‘Okay?’ Dean’s completely lost. ‘You’ve told me your brother can be a bit of a douche, but is it that bad?’

‘No, it’s…’ Cas looks down. They fidget with their book, aligning it with the edge of the table. ‘Gabe is very flirty, and he pesters me to be flirty, too.’

Dean presses his lips together to hide his smile. Cas is pretty much the opposite of flirty. They’re terrible at making the first move, stumble over their words, and say the exact opposite of what they should say. It’s not much better when someone else makes the first move, because Cas just doesn’t notice. Dean should know. It was a little rough at first, having a crush on a new friend when they obviously don’t like you back in that way, but Dean’s got it under control now. Mostly.

‘And I told him I was dating someone to get him off my back,’ Cas finishes.

‘So? What’s the problem? Find some pictures of someone cute, photoshop yourself next to them, and _tada_! Instant fake partner,’ Dean says. ‘Me or Sammy can help with the photoshopping if that’s the problem.’

Cas shakes their head. ‘That won’t work. I told him I’d take them with me this weekend.’

‘Why?’

‘Because I thought I’d find someone!’ Cas exclaims. They glare at the people shushing them. ‘This was two months ago. Two months, Dean. I should be able to find someone in _two months_.’

‘Why didn’t you ask me?’ Dean asks. ‘I mean, why didn’t you ask me to pretend to be your boyfriend? You’re my best friend, it’s my duty to help you get your brother off your back,’ he quickly adds.

‘Oh. Right,’ Cas nods. ‘Dean Winchester, will you pretend to be my boyfriend to mess with my brother?’

‘Of course, buddy.’

~

 _This was a terrible idea,_ Dean thinks as they pull up to the Shurley house that Friday afternoon. On the drive over so many “what ifs” kept racing through his head that it’s given him a headache. What if Cas realizes Dean’s in love with them? What if he turns out to be a terrible boyfriend? Even if it’s just pretend? What if he lets Cas down and Gabriel figures out they’re faking it? And then there is that very small, quiet, hopeful what if: What if Cas realizes they’ve been in love with Dean all along?

That’s the scariest of them all.

‘Dean, are you sure you still want to do this?’ Cas asks. They grab his hand and squeeze. ‘I won’t be mad. I’ll just introduce you to Gabe as my friend, and deal with his teasing. I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.’

Dean shakes his head and smiles. ‘Let’s show that brother of yours what excellent taste in partners you have.’

‘Okay.’ Cas still doesn’t look entirely convinced, but they give Dean’s hand one more squeeze, then let go so they can get out of the car.

Dean takes a deep breath. He can do this. Sammy was wrong. He can keep his shit together and be Cas’ boyfriend for the weekend. _Pretend to be_. He can _pretend to be_ Cas’ boyfriend.

By the time he joins Cas by the trunk, Cas has already unloaded most of their bags. Together they unload the rest, and divide the bags between the two of them.

‘Baby will be fine here? On the street?’ Dean asks after locking the car.

Cas rolls their eyes, then sweeps their arm wide. ‘Does this look like the car theft capital of America?’

It doesn’t. All of the houses on the street are Victorians with perfect lawns, stain glass windows, and most of them have white picket fences.

‘No, but it looks like the kind of street where kids get bored and decide to key beautiful cars.’ Dean pointedly looks at where a couple boys are biking up and down the street.

‘I’ll ask Gabe if he can park on the street so yours can go in the garage,’ Cas says. They shake their head, eyes twinkling with amusement.

‘You’re the best,’ Dean grins.

Cas shoves his shoulder, moving him in the direction of the house. They don’t get far before the front door is thrown open.

‘Cassie!’

‘Hello, Gabriel,’ Cas sighs in an annoyed but affectionate way only family can bring out.

Gabriel ambles towards them, meeting them halfway on the path to the front door. He’s almost the opposite of Cas, short, with blond hair, a mischievous smirk on his lips, and a lollipop bulging his cheek. He wraps Cas in a hug, ignoring the bags hanging of Cas’ arms.

‘And who is this?’ Gabriel asks when he’s finished slapping Cas on the back, turning to Dean. He raises an eyebrow and pulls the lollipop out of his mouth.

‘This is Dean. My boyfriend,’ Cas introduces him.

Gabriel looks Dean up and down, his smile sharper than a knife. ‘Well, Dean-O, nice to meet you.’ He holds out his hand, and when Dean grips it, Gabriel squeezes so tight the bones in Dean’s hand grind together. ‘You better be looking after my baby-sib or there will be hell to pay.’

‘Nice to meet you, too,’ Dean grimaces through the pain. When he gets his hand back, he flexes it behind his back. _Damn_ , that hurt.

‘Dinner’s almost ready. I hope you like lasagne.’ With that, Gabriel jams his lollipop back into his mouth and ambles back inside the house.

‘You weren’t joking,’ Dean says as he follows him.

‘Permanent sugarhigh,’ Cas nods.

Inside, Gabriel disappears in the direction of the kitchen, and Dean follows Cas up the stairs. Cas’ room is exactly like their dorm: a tidy mess. There are books everywhere, knick-knacks, treasures from when they were younger. There is a collage of sunsets, pictures Dean knows Cas took themself, hanging above the bed. French doors open onto a balcony that looks out over the backyard.

‘Nice,’ Dean says appreciatively. It’s an understatement. This is the kind of bedroom he used to dream of when he was kid. He holds up his bags. ‘Where should I put these?’

‘You can put them anywhere,’ Cas says, dropping their own bags on the bed. ‘You really think it’s nice?’

‘Yeah. It suits you.’

Cas tugs on the bottom of their sweater and smiles that adorable crooked smile. They sit down on the edge of the mattress, staring at their hands. Dean sits down next to them and knocks their shoulders together.

‘Are _you_ sure you still want to do this, Cas?’ he asks.

‘Definitely. We’re gonna be so grossly romantic, Gabe will wish he’d never pushed me to date someone.’ Cas narrows their eyes at the floor, presumably at where the kitchen is. ‘You can pull out anytime, you know?’

Dean coughs. ‘That might be a poor choice of words considering.’ He gestures at the bed they’re sitting on.

‘Get your mind out of the gutter, Dean,’ Cas laughs, and shoves him off the bed.

They use the time they have until dinner to sort their clothes, put the first load of laundry in the washer, and change into clean clothes. They also exchange the dusty sheets on the bed for fresh ones.

When the kitchen timer goes off, they go downstairs holding hands. Dean’s heart hammers in his chest. Cas’ palm is so warm against his, their fingers so comfortable between his own. He really hopes his palms don’t start sweating.

The table is already set, and Gabriel and Mr Shurley, or Chuck as he insists Dean call him, are waiting. Cas’ dad is not what Dean expected. Cas always describes him as eccentric, but having dinner in your pyjamas and robe is way past that. Dean pretends not to notice after he feels Cas’ fingers tighten around his at the sight. He glances at Cas to see their cheeks are a little more red than usual and their jaw is tight.

‘I’m sorry,’ Cas mumbles.

Dean throws him a smile. He doesn’t care. He’s here for Cas.

Conversation quickly turns to the book Chuck is writing. The man tries to explain the plot, but Dean’s lost after only a couple of minutes. From the looks on their faces, so are Gabriel and Cas. No wonder Chuck’s having dinner in his robe. His mind is so full of other things, it’s a miracle he even remembered to do that.

Odd conversation aside, dinner is great. Gabriel is an excellent cook, and when Chuck runs back to his study to write down an important plot point he just thought of and doesn’t return, he turns out to be quite the storyteller as well. To Dean’s delight, Gabriel’s first priority is the same as that of most big brothers: embarrassing their younger siblings. He has enough material to last until after dessert, and all through Cas and Dean loading the dishwasher.

‘And that’s why dad put a net under the tree house when he built it,’ Gabe finishes telling the story of how Cas kept jumping off high things in the hope their body would adapt and grow wings.

‘Wait, you have a tree house?’ Dean asks, turning to Cas. Dean wanted a tree house when he was a kid, but his mom’s house didn’t have a tree in the yard. He and Sam tried to build one in the woods close to their childhood home, but that ended when Sam fell out of the tree and broke his arm.

‘It’s still there,’ Gabriel says. ‘Pretty sure it’ll hold you both if you want to cuddle under the stars.’

Dean ignores the flutter in his chest at that idea, and turns to Cas. ‘You gotta show me.’

Cas throws a glare at Gabe. ‘It really isn’t that special. Just a tree house.’

Deans sets the plate he was rinsing down, and wraps his arms around Cas’ waist, pressing against their back and hooking his chin over their shoulder. ‘Please?’ he asks.

Cas turns their head, raising their eyebrows at Dean. The corner of their mouth is twitching like they’re fighting off a smile. Warm affection rushes through Dean. His stomach flips. Cas is so warm, so close. He can see all the different shades of blue in their eyes, and–

‘Cas has a telescope. They used to go out almost every night to look at the stars, and it’s supposed to be a clear night tonight,’ Gabriel adds, breaking the spell.

‘Aw, Gabe, did you check the weather to see if me and Cas could go stargazing?’ Dean asks. He pulls away from Cas and quickly continues rinsing the dishes, keeping his head ducked hoping that Cas doesn’t see his blush.

During dinner, he’d let himself go a little. He’d indulged every little impulse to smile and touch Cas that he usually suppresses. Cas didn’t seem to mind, and Dean almost forgot they weren’t actually dating. There is a line that if he crosses it, he’s not sure he’ll come back from. At least, not with his heart in one piece.

‘I did not, Dean-O. I was going to use the tree house for myself and my ladyfriend, but Kali cancelled on me,’ Gabriel shrugs. ‘And since you two are disgustingly cute, I need you out of the house so I can watch television in peace.’

‘That sounds kinda great,’ Dean says.

‘Curling up on the couch,’ Cas adds.

‘Feeding each other popcorn.’

‘Snuggled under a blanket.’

Gabriel jumps off the kitchen island and points his latest lollipop at them. ‘Don’t you dare. I will put a red sock in the machine with your whites. I just got a new pair, so everything should get nice and pink.’

‘I like pink,’ Cas says.

‘Brings out your eyes,’ Dean agrees.

‘You can have the last of the chocolate ice cream,’ Gabriel bargains.

Dean looks at Cas.

‘You make pie for dessert tomorrow and you’ve got yourself a deal.’ Cas holds out their hand.

Gabriel narrows his eyes, then nods and shakes his sibling’s hand. ‘Deal.’

They finish the dishes, and Dean and Cas go back upstairs. It’s not quite dark enough for stargazing yet, so they do another load of laundry, then work on some assignments.

Cas is lying on the bed, sticky notes, pens and markers by their side as they read. They gave Dean the desk since Dean has an essay to write, but he’s not getting much done. He’s surrounded by everything that’s important to Cas and he has so many questions. Like why is there a plastic spider in the corner of the ceiling? Did they have a Trolls obsession when they were younger? The most pressing question is if he can look at Cas’ photo albums. They’re on a shelf right above the desk, and Dean only has to lift his head a little to read the spines. Most of them have dates on them, but a couple have the names of the countries Cas has been to.

Chuck is an inventor, and some of his inventions have very profitable patents. When they were old enough, Gabriel and Cas sometimes went with him if he had to go abroad for business.

‘Maybe tomorrow,’ Cas says, pulling Dean out of his reverie.

‘What?’

‘Maybe I’ll show you the albums tomorrow.’

‘Cool,’ is all Dean says back. He quickly turns back to his laptop, a smile on his face.

When it’s finally dark enough, they gather blankets, snacks, and the telescope, and go outside. The tree house is at the far end of the backyard. It’s not very big, but it looks sturdy, with thick branches that stick out almost parallel to the ground. The tree house looks pretty average, large enough for a couple ten year-olds, but it might be a tight squeeze for two grown-ups. The wall furthest from the tree trunk has a large hole that Dean assumes is the window.

‘I thought there was a net?’ Dean asks when they reach the tree.

‘It got old, started fraying, and I gave up on having wings.’

‘You’ll always be my angel,’ Dean teases. He slings an arm around Cas’ shoulder and squeezes.

‘Ha. That’s really funny.’

Dean throws Cas a wide smile before climbing up the ladder.

After clearing some dust, leaves, and spiders out, Dean arranges the blankets as Cas sets up the telescope.

‘This is pretty amazing,’ Dean says. He sits down and leans against the back wall.

He watches Cas as they move the telescope around, searching for something in the sky. Their fingers double tap their knees, the same way Cas does when they’ve figured out a problem. Dean scoots forward at the same time that Cas reaches blindly behind them to pull him to the telescope. They grab Dean’s bicep and squeeze excitedly as he puts his eye to the eyepiece.

The pressure of Cas’ grip is almost enough to distract Dean from what he’s looking at, but the enthusiasm in Cas’ voice when they talk about the stars, their names, and the stories people made up about them, is infectious. Dean is getting excited too, and he asks Cas to show him more. This repeats Dean doesn’t know how many times, Cas repositioning the telescope, Dean looking through it as Cas tells him what he’s looking at. Each time Dean moves away to let Cas adjust the telescope, he moves a little less far, and when he moves back in, he moves a little closer.

Dean doesn’t realize how close they’re sitting until he looks up from the telescope, and Cas’ face is right there, their noses almost touching. Cas’ breath ghosts over Dean’s lips. Dean doesn’t remember changing his position, but at some point he turned sideways and threw his legs across Cas’ lap. One of Dean’s arms is around Cas’ waist, and their sides are pressed together. Cas is so close, and warm, and soft, and they smell so good, and they’re _Cas._

Dean’s mind blanks, only one thought staying behind. He darts forward and presses a kiss to the corner of Cas’ mouth.

The moment his lips touch Cas’ skin, the warm and cosy air in the tree house becomes thick and stifling. Where they’re pressed together, Dean feels Cas’ muscles tense.

‘I… need to go,’ Dean says. He scrambles off Cas’ lap and down the tree, his face burning.

_Oh god._

_Oh shit._

He just _kissed_ Cas.

‘Everything okay?’ Gabriel asks when Dean stumbles into the living room, his voice just low enough that it could be casual, but would sound like a warning if there was a problem. Which there is.

‘I, uhm, just remembered I wanted to ask you if I can put my car in the garage,’ Dean says, mentally high-fiving himself for the quick save. Gabriel would kill him and mince him up in the garbage disposal.

Gabriel snorts. ‘Cas mentioned you were afraid for your car’s paint job.’ He pauses his movie and pushes off the couch. ‘Come on, let’s go save your “Baby” from those rascals across the street.’

‘Thanks.’ Dean grabs his car keys and follows Gabriel outside.

When he slides into the driver’s seat, the familiar creak of the leather calms the chaos in his mind a little. His hands clench at the wheel.

 _It’ll be fine_ , he thinks, forcing his breathing to slow down. He can fix this. He should just apologize to Cas, then they can forget about it, and carry on as before. Except, he doesn’t really want to forget. He wants to remember the feeling of Cas’ skin against his lips and how good Cas smelled that close.

Gabriel has backed out of the garage and Dean starts the car. The roar of the engine fills his ears, soothing as a lullaby.

He also wants Cas to stay his friend though, and since Cas doesn’t like him like that, he’ll have to forget.

He stays in the car for a few more moments after parking it. Then he nods to himself in the rear-view mirror and whispers, ‘That’s it. I have to move on.’

His throat feels thick while he closes the garage. Tears threaten, but he swallows them down. If Cas sees him like this, they’ll get worried and fussy, and that’s the last thing Dean needs right now.

‘Cas is upstairs,’ Gabriel tells him when Dean walks into the living room on his way back outside.

‘Oh.’ Dean frowns. Why is Cas upstairs?

Muttered swears greet him, when he reaches the landing. Cas is trying to put the blankets back in the closet in the guest room, but it’s not going very well.

‘Already done with stargazing?’ Dean asks.

Cas jumps. The blankets tumble to the floor, and they curse again.

‘Sorry,’ Dean says. He helps Cas refold and put away the blankets. He doesn’t miss the way Cas keeps looking at him from the corner of their eye, and the tension in their shoulders. It makes the words he has to say so much harder, but if he wants to fix this, he doesn’t have a choice.

‘I’m sorry. About earlier,’ he says after closing the closet door. He’s almost too scared to turn around and look at Cas.

Cas is sitting on the edge of the mattress, their head tilted, eyebrows knitted. They look like a confused cat, and if Dean wasn’t so terrified of this conversation, he would’ve smiled at how cute they look.

‘About… kissing you,’ Dean adds when Cas doesn’t respond.

‘Are you really?’

He almost says yes, but Cas has always had the ability to know when Dean is talking bullshit, so instead he says, ‘Everything’s weird now. I didn’t want that.’

Cas narrows their eyes, clearly catching on to Dean not actually answering their question, but they don’t call him out on it.

‘What _do_ you want?’ they ask.

‘You.’ Dean is having trouble looking at Cas. His face is burning and he wants to hide from Cas’ knowing eyes. Wants to stuff his feelings down, make a joke, and get out of this conversation.

‘Dean…’ Cas sighs.

‘I like you, Cas. A lot. I just…’ Dean searches for the right words. He’s not good at this, talking about his feelings, and he doesn’t want to make things worse. ‘I want you in my life, any way you want to be in it. If being my best friend is what you can give me, then I’ll take it.’

‘I… I didn’t know,’ Cas says, looking upset.

This is exactly what Dean was trying to avoid. He sits down next to Cas, making sure to leave plenty of space between them. He’s made his best friend uncomfortable enough for one day. ‘Well, you weren’t supposed to know,’ he points out.

‘Why not?’

‘Because I know you. You’d feel bad for having to tell me that you don’t like me back, even though–‘

‘But I do.’

‘What?’

Cas locks their eyes on Dean’s. Their expression sincere and open when they say, ‘Dean, I do like you.’

‘You do?’ Dean’s heart swells, and he feels so light that he thinks he might float away.

‘But I’m ace.’

‘I know,’ Dean says, not sure what Cas is trying to say.

‘And we’re not likely to ever have any kind of sex.’

‘I know.’

‘Ever.’

‘I know,’ Dean repeats, hearing what Cas is trying to say. He places his hand in the space between them, palm up.

‘I don’t want you to feel like you’re giving something up to be with me,’ Cas presses, looking at Dean’s hand. ‘I don’t want to start something and then find out that we can’t do this because our needs are too different. You’re too important to me.’

‘I don’t _need_ sex in a relationship, Cas,’ Dean assures them. His heart skips a beat when Cas finally places their hand in his. He shifts his hand so his fingers slide between Cas’, and squeezes. ‘We’ll figure it out together. What we need. What we like.’

‘I like cuddling,’ Cas says. They let themself fall back, bouncing a little when they hit the mattress.

Dean follows suit. He turns on his side and says, ‘Me, too.’

‘And naked cuddling.’

Dean’s eyes widen, heat flashing through him at the mental image. Cas grins, wide and toothy.

‘Now you’re messing with me,’ he grumbles fondly, poking Cas’ thigh.

‘A little. I really do find the skin on skin contact comforting sometimes.’ Cas scoots closer until they can wrap a leg around Dean’s. ‘I also like kissing. Just don’t get too intense.’

‘I can do that,’ Dean whispers. He swallows. Is Cas asking him to kiss them? Or is it something they want him to know for later?

He moves forward, slowly. Cas meets him halfway. Dean tries to pull back after only a quick press of their lips, but Cas cradles his jaw and takes control. They move their lips against Dean’s, and Dean stops trying to hold back. Cas won’t break. They’ll let him know when it’s enough.

The kiss is slow and sweet. It feels like coming home and driving fast on a stretch of empty road; exhilarating, comforting, untouchable, relieved, and happy all at once.

‘You have your own bedroom _and_ a tree house, and this is where you two choose to make out?’ Gabriel interrupts them.

Dean pulls back and sits up so fast it makes him lightheaded. He feels like he did when he was a teenager and his mom caught him making out with someone in the back of the car.

‘And you were watching a movie,’ Cas says. They’re a lot slower in sitting up. They pull Dean off the bed, to the door. ‘Alone. Because your date cancelled.’

Gabriel flips them off, and disappears down the stairs with a huff.

They curl up on Cas’ bed in a similar position as they had in the guest bedroom. Cas’ hand combs through Dean’s hair. Dean’s hands are fisted in the front of Cas’ sweater, revelling in the fact that this is real, when he remembers something and groans.

‘What?’ Cas asks. Their hands stop and pull away.

‘Sam is going to be so damn smug about being right. He told me I wouldn’t be able to keep my shit together this weekend,’ Dean explains. ‘Hell, I didn’t even make it one day.’

‘I’m glad you didn’t,’ Cas smiles, soft and happy. They put their fingers back in Dean’s hair.

‘Me, too,’ Dean sighs.

**Author's Note:**

> Come say hi on [tumblr](http://fandom-madnessess.tumblr.com/).


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